Fiji Weddings.. please help me...

[TaraRipka]

I have tried a thread before and got a response that didn't really make sense.. i am not spam? I have asked many friends about where I should begin. Two of my friends just had traditional weddings and I am NOT into that at all. I have alot of ideas, I just need some help pointing me in the right direction. Here is what I have in mind.. I want a few of my closest friends and family to join us in Fiji on a great vacation, we will get married while we are there. Then, a few months after we get home, I want to have a reception. I have a lot of people telling me that I can't expect people to get us gifts and go to a reception a few months after the wedding. My problem is, I don't want to have the big sit down dinner and the fancy stuff a traditional wedding has. I want a BBQ type atmosphere. I want my guests to be relaxed and mingle. I don't want people to be assigned to a table and have the night planned out for them. I do plan on having my wedding on a video so we can play it for everyone. I know my mother wanted to have a bridal shower, another thing I am not into, but I want to have a Jack and Jill so all my friends can come. If anyone out there can help me with where to begin, or any stories of how other couples may have done this, I would appreciate it..
Tara

[Elaine]

I am right there with you, girl!

I want a stress-free destination wedding and an informal reception after-the-fact.
However, I'm not bringing any guests to the actual ceremony and then the reception will probably be a week or so after the wedding.

To those people who say you won't receive gifts - so what? The average American wedding costs $20,000! Do you think you'll make that up in gifts? Heck no! Most people don't get back in gifts nearly what they spent on the ceremony. Save the money and buy yourself the things you need.

The people who really love you and who really matter will give you the sentimental gifts anyway. They shouldn't care where or how you have the wedding.

Anyway, I think Sandals does weddings in Fiji. Or you could just google "destinnation wedding fiji" and I bet you'll finnd a good place to start.

If you find a good resource, let me know! I haven't planned my yet and it's only 4 months away!

[kyzmit]

I'd talk to a few travel agents and resorts and see what they do... a warning though... I was actually told by one company I contacted that they required a $100 deposit just to look into the honeymoon I wanted... (yeah, right).

[TaraRipka]

OH ELAINE!!! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement!! I really needed that. I found a great site for Pacific island weddings.. I am afraid to put the web site up here. I keep getting yelled at for spam stuff..
well here it goes...
http://fiji-islands.com/owner_agent_fiji_reviews.html
Melissa McCoy owns this great agency. I haven't used her yet, but she has given me great ideas. I am sure if you want a pacific island wedding she can help.
I was just in two weddings 3 weeks apart and both my girl friends were crying before their wedding because they were so stressed out. I realize then I REALLY do not want the traditional wedding. I can't afford it for one thing and I want my guests, the ones I really want there, to see a place they will never go to on their own... Fiji was the place to go.. I heard that Trinidad and Tobago are also great places to have a wedding, very romantic.. I have also looked into going on a Pacific cruise, but I really don't want and itinarary. Please keep in touch and I would love to hear how your wedding and reception turns out...
Thanks again... you just made my day!!! :)

[kyzmit]

OH ELAINE!!! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement!! I really needed that. I found a great site for Pacific island weddings.. I am afraid to put the web site up here. I keep getting yelled at for spam stuff..
well here it goes...
http://fiji-islands.com/owner_agent_fiji_reviews.html
Melissa McCoy owns this great agency. I haven't used her yet, but she has given me great ideas. I am sure if you want a pacific island wedding she can help.
I was just in two weddings 3 weeks apart and both my girl friends were crying before their wedding because they were so stressed out. I realize then I REALLY do not want the traditional wedding. I can't afford it for one thing and I want my guests, the ones I really want there, to see a place they will never go to on their own... Fiji was the place to go.. I heard that Trinidad and Tobago are also great places to have a wedding, very romantic.. I have also looked into going on a Pacific cruise, but I really don't want and itinarary. Please keep in touch and I would love to hear how your wedding and reception turns out...
Thanks again... you just made my day!!! :)

Don't be gunshy... the worst that can happen is you are determined to be spam (generally by putting the same message or info in multiple places, especially if it doesn't belong in the thread or you started it yourself) and get banned from the board... so you find another group of people that will help you. I read your... "Fiji Wedding - Got Info?" I think... thread after what you said above and had actually originally avoided that thread because it sounds like a spam name (Got info, if not I can give it to you...)... I think that's why Marcia questioned you... but she's really a nice and awesome and helpful person, so... yeah...

I have no other real info or suggestions for you right now, but have fun, enjoy your wedding, and hopefully planning it, and remember, we're all here to help!

[reecey]

sorry if you received no response - it could have been that people assumed you were a spammer, which, obviously you're not. We've been overrun with hundreds of spam messages in the last short while. The other reason is that its possible that no one has any idea about a wedding in fiji - I have never been there myself - and I have always wanted to go. I imagine that doing anything there, especially something as romantic and special as a wedding would just be amazing!